Access Backstage Pass
Latest Features
Jerry Barnes and Nile Rodgers give an insiders’ view of this seven-minute bass anthem by Chic
Performing alongside guitarist Nile Rodgers, Jerry Barnes has bestowed his deep-pocketed basslines upon Chic since the untimely death of Bernard Edwards in 1996
Why Jason & the Scorchers’ Warner E. Hodges refused to sell his ’64 Jazzmaster to Bob Dylan
The cowpunk pioneer on the many guitar casualties of his slinging and spinning on stage, why switching from Fender to Gibson was “like learning another language”, touring with the Ramones and R.E.M. and making a Dylan song their own
From unexpected ES-335 solos to jams in a barn: your guitar guide to David Gilmour’s Luck and Strange
Gilmour says it’s his best since 1973. It’s a solo work but was borne of collaboration. But it might just be the guitar album of the year, and we go track-by-track to parse its brilliance
He’s jammed with Tony Iommi, recorded at Abbey Road, now he’s cooking up hairy stoner riffs with Torus – and Alfie Glass is just getting started
Torus’ self-titled debut album is a feast of mammoth riffs, gnarly energy and grooves that will stick in your brain, and one for all you fuzz freaks seeking “a bold, no B.S. rock sound”
How King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard made a left turn – into blues rock
Flight b741 sees the prodigious band making nasty sounds beautiful and “going for the take that had the boogie!” on a trip that reimagines ‘70s rock nostalgia
Mötley Crüe’s Nikki Sixx on fate, Thunderbirds and the legacy of Smoke on the Water
The bassist discusses a new lease of life with old friend John 5, new ’Crüe the band’s – and his eternal confusion over beloved Gibson reverse bodies
Akio Sakurai aka Mr. Jimmy has studied the Led Zeppelin icon for 43 years – and elevated tribute artist to high art
The star of the 2019 documentary reveals the one Page tone he can’t figure out, goes into incredible detail about pickups, and explains why there’s still one Gibson missing from his Page collection
The history of the ’60s British blues boom – the movement that carried a tidal wave of guitar heroes across the Atlantic
With the death of John Mayall in July, we lost one of the architects of the '60s blues boom that transformed Britain’s music scene and restored America’s blues guitar pioneers to their rightful place. Here's how a grassroots scene changed the world
Conor Curley of Fontaines D.C. on his love of Deftones and why he’s writing riffs like a beginner
Romance is the sound of self-confessed “guitar culture nerd” Curley expanding the Fontaine D.C. sound with elemental reasoning, pure instinct, and occasional Mellotron – and if he ever gets stuck for inspiration, he has a pile of Total Guitar back issues to reference…
Amyl and the Sniffers are one of the hottest rock bands on the planet – and they got there by breaking punk’s no-solos rule
The fast-rising Australian outfit’s guitarist Declan Martens aims to sound like Angus and Malcolm Young together. He discusses his love of chunky strings, how to make guitar solos punk, and using Dave Grohl’s guitars while recording in the Foo Fighters’ studio
